That's the way I am: June, July have been busy
Staff writer
I thought I would be too busy to write a column before leaving for Ohio. It is 4:30 in the morning and I will attempt to write this column, so here it goes. I hope you the readers had a good and profitable summer. I will be returning to work at the Star-Journal on Aug. 1.
The months of June and July have been very busy indeed. Right now, I am busy packing to go to Ohio for the cultural weekend camp for inner-city youth that we help with each year. We take our van and drive straight through. It is not so demanding and taxing as in years past, especially on Ron, now that all three of the kids can drive.
When this column goes to print, we will have returned to Kansas. We anticipate having a great time instructing, interacting, encouraging, and challenging the youth of the Youngstown and the surrounding area.
I came across an article in the Youngstown Vindicator that featured the camp in 1990. I learned that the Needle's Eye began the camp in 1985. Our family has been helping with it for 17 of those 18 years. Ron and I have served as speakers. Our family has given demonstrations and presentations; help with organizing the room assignments and setting up and games and activities.
It has been fun to meet new people and get reacquainted with old friends. We also are challenged and encouraged in our faith — something we come away with after attending the camp.
I will write more about the camp in a later column.
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Although busy this summer going to summer basketball and volleyball games, I have managed to read a great deal. I have been reading the Left Behind series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. I had started reading the books about five years ago, but did not have time to finish the series. I thought I could go back and begin reading where I left off. So I've managed to read three of them so far. I am currently reading their book,
The Mark — The Beast Rules the World. I have an interest in end-time prophecy, so it has been stimulating to read their fictional account on how life here on earth will be like during the Tribulation period.
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I have been able to walk two miles each day to help keep my diabetes in check. I also have been able to maintain my weight and a fairly healthy diet. It has been hard because of some of the medication I was taking for the diabetes. I found out that diabetes medicines such as Actos and Avandia might cause you to gain five to eight pounds. But, with all those efforts, my pancreas was still not producing enough insulin, so I am now taking five units of insulin once a day. I was not too happy about it.
My diabetes educator said that I have done all that I could and that my sugar levels needed to be more controlled. So, I'm adjusting to the regiment of injecting shots each night. It has helped and I now have more balanced sugar levels.
For the two months that I have walked regularly, I have been able to collect discarded aluminum cans on the road. I saw Doug Fisher in town and I told him when I get back to work I will bring them to him. Doug collects cans, so if you have any at your house or place of business and don't have the cans designated for any special purpose, call Doug he would be glad to come and get them.
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While I was gone, two of our longtime subscribers passed away — Allen Funk and Milford Blair. I want to extend my deepest sympathy to their families. I had the privilege of getting to know both men through the years as they came into the Star-Journal office to pick up their papers each week up until their health began to fail. I know they will be sorely missed. Again, my condolences to the families of these fine men.
